Wireless communication devices communicate by sending and receiving information in particular radio frequencies. These particular radio frequencies can be communication channels, just like channels on a radio. In order to receive a particular station on a radio, it is important to tune to the radio frequency that station is broadcast on. If one does not tune directly onto the proper frequency that the radio station is being broadcast on, then the radio will likely receive static or a signal that is not as clear.
Wireless communication devices typically use a frequency synthesizer to set the frequency of the communication channel. Just like the radio example above, it can be important for reliable and efficient wireless communications to have accurate and precise generation of specific radio frequencies. In order to generate the specific radio frequencies the frequency synthesizer often needs to create the desired frequency using reference frequencies. It can be difficult to produce a frequency synthesizer that is precise without the design of the frequency synthesizer becoming very complicated.